GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONGeographically Bangladesh lies between 20°34" and 26°38" N latitude and 88°01" and 92°41' E longitude. It has an area of 147,570 Sq. km and occupies a strategic position in South and South East Asia. It is bordered by India on three sides -West, North and East and a short strip of land of Myanmar also borders in the East while on the south lies the Bay of Bengal with its warm blue water. The Bay of Bengal is rich in marine life and nurtures the precious shrimps which are one of the country's major export items. The Bay of Bengal is a gateway to South Asia, and from time immemorial it has contributed immensly to merchant shipping and world trade.

ClimateBangladesh falls in the sub-tropical region of the globe. Of the three major seasons, winter is the shortest. Summer and Rainy seasons are Longer. In Winter - November to February temperature varies from 28° to 20° Celsius. Summer - March to June-is the hottest period when temperature varies from 20° to 34° Celsius. Rainy season-July to October- is the wettest peiiod of the year, when most rainfall occurs and rivers are full, and temperature varies from 30° to 25° Celsius. Humidity varies from 99% (July) to 40% (December).

PopulationThe Population of Bangladesh is over 130.34 million, growth rate now being 1.47%. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries (834 per sq. km.). 80% of the population live in the rural areas. Of the total population 47% are in the civilian labour force, male 29.14% and female 17.86%.

Bangladesh is a deltaic plain of the three major river systems of South Asia - the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. The land of the country is formed with the alluvial soil of these rivers. Green paddy fields and vegetation are found all around. There are some hills on the North Eastern and South Eastern parts of the country which are the extension of the Himalayan ranges in the South-East. The most significant characteristic of the landscape of Bangladesh is its extensive networks of rivers which contribute a great deal to shape the socioeconomic life of the country

Religion
Islam is the religion of the overwhelming majority (86.6%). Hindus are 12.6% and Budhists 0.2%, Christians 0.4% and others 0.02%. All religious faiths are treated equally. All citizens enjoy complete freedom of religion and worship.

Language
'Bangla' is the national and official language. English is taught as a compulsory subject in School, it is also widely studied at the tertiary level of education and widely spoken and understood, specially in urban areas. Arabic is also taught and studied at schools.Most of the people can speak in Arabic. Hindi is also widely spoken and popular language in Bangladesh now .

EducationBangladesh inherited a well-developed education and training system from the British, which has been further improved to meet the national requirement. 73 General Universities, 5 Universities of Engineering and Technology, 5 Agricultural Universities, 1 Medical University, 27 Medical Colleges, 1 Engineering College, & 37 Agricultural Colleges and institute are producing every year hundreds of science, arts, commerce, engineering & medical graduates. Besides, there are a large number of technical institutions for training thousands of personnel in the much needed trades and vocations

AirportsZia International Airport (ZIA) at Dhaka, Osmani International Airport at Sylhet and Shah Amanat International Airport at Chittagong, besides a network of 8 domestic airports.

AirlinesBangladesh Biman, the National Flag Carrier, connects Dhaka with almost all of the manpower importing countries. Besides, various other airlines, such as Thai International, Aeroflot, British Airways, Air India, Indian Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Malaysian Airlines, Burma Airways Corporation, Emirates Airlines, Ittehad ,Kuwait Airways, The Gulf Airlines, Royal Nepal Airlines and Singapore Airlines operate their flights from Dhaka and connect almost all the major destinations of the world. Airlines like Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Japan Airlines & other GSAs also extend ticketing facilities from DhakaA.

CapitalDhaka is the capital. It is an old city established in early part of the sixteenth century during the Mughal rule and was the capital of the Sube Bangla. The Metropolitan area covers about 15 028.49 Sq km with a population of 10 million.

Major CitiesDhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal are the major cities.

Seaports
Chittagong and Mongla (Khulna)

CurrencyThe name of Bangladeshi currency is taka. It is convertible. At present one U.S. dollar is equivalent 70.00 taka. Currency notes of 500., 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 & 1 taka denomination are available. Coins of 5, 1, 0.50, 0.25, 0.10, 0.05 and 0.01 taka are also in circulation